Low-Impact Lawn Care

Mowing Season

Negotiate with your lawn care service:

• Give the Low-Impact Alternatives handout to your lawn care service workers.
  
• Minimize or eliminate uneccessary blowing.
• Mow and trim only as needed to maintain a healthy lawn.
• Don't demand weekly services if the lawn and edging dont need it.
• Agree on clippings and edging debris (leave on grass, collect in bag, compost, etc).
• Discuss mulch mowing fallen leaves during the last month of mowing.
• Accept a more natural-looking lawn and yard -- it doesnt need to be pristine.
  

If blowing is essential -- GO ELECTRIC!
Work smart, be efficient -- conserve gas, reduce noise, dusts and emissions.
Keep neighbors happy.

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Leaf Cleanup Seasons

Negotiate with your leaf collection service:

• Give the Low-Impact Alternatives handout to your lawn care service workers.
  
• Minimize or eliminate uneccessary blowing -- work smart, not long.
• Agree on how you want your leaves managed.
• Mulch-mow fallen leaves during the last month of mowing.
  
• Collect leaves in tarps -- rather than blowing across an entire yard.
  
• Leave the leaves in flower beds, or use a shrub rake for removal.
  

If blowing is essential -- GO ELECTRIC!
Avoid blowing at higher velocity than needed.
Avoid blowing around home foundations to avoid raising unhealthy dusts.
Work smart, be efficient -- conserve gas, reduce noise, dusts and emissions.
Keep neighbors happy.

LOCAL EXAMPLES

Low Impact Lawns

REDUCE LAWN

GRASS ALTERNATIVES

ADD NATIVES

Start small or think big.

Your yard - Your choice. Nothing wrong with a well-groomed, expansive lawn. Find ways to minimize or reduce the need for gas-powered equipment. Healthy turf starts with healthy soils -- soils need organic matter like grass clippings, leaf fragments and cover to support all the microorganisms that naturally feed nutrients back in to your soils and lawns. Hire companies that will work with you--not just mow and blow cuz that's all they know.

RESOURCES

Healthy Yards
https://www.healthyyards.org/

Xerxes Society
https://xerces.org/pollinator-resource-center/great-lakes

Ohio State Extension Service: Ohioline Fact Sheets

American Green Zone Alliance (AGZA)


Quiet Clean PDX


Quiet Clean Seattle

More info coming.